MBR final low res

MALTA
BUSINESS REVIEW
EDITORIAL
Malta Business Review
PUBLISHER
MBR Publications Limited
OFFICES
Highland Apartment - Level 1,
Naxxar Road,
Birkirkara, BKR 9042
+356 2149 7814
EDITOR
Martin Vella
TECHNICAL ADVISOR
Marcelle D’Argy Smith
SALES DIRECTOR
Margaret Brincat
DESIGN
MBR Design
ADVERTISING
Call: 9940 6743 or 9926 0163/4/6;
Email: margaret@mbrpublications.net
or admin@mbrpublications.net
CONTRIBUTORS
Greg Adomatis; Antoine Bonello; George Carol;
Baptiste Chatain; Jean Paul Demajo; Florian
Eder; Hannke Faber; Estefania Narrillo; Zoya
Sheftalovich; Peter Stracor; Joe Weisenthal;
Sarah Wheaton; Minda Zetlin
SPECIAL THANKS
Bloomberg; Dizz Group; DOI; European
Parliament Information Office in Malta; European
Parliament, Directorate- General for
Communication/Press Office; European Research
Council; FIMBank; HSBC; LinkedIn; Edwards
Lowell & Co.; MORGEN EUROPA; OPR; POLITICO
SPRL; Politico Global Policy Lab; PTV Group;
Taylor & Francis Group.
PRINT PRODUCTION
Gutenberg Press Ltd
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
Business opportunities are like buses, there’s
always another one coming.
Richard Branson
Disclaimer
All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by copyright may
be reproduced or copied and reproduction in whole or part is strictly
prohibited without written permission of the publisher. All content
material available on this publication is duly protected by Maltese
and International Law. No person, organisation, other publisher or
online web content manager should rely, or on any way act upon
any part of the contents of this publication, whether that information
is sourced from the website, magazine or related product without
first obtaining the publisher’s consent. The opinions expressed in the
Malta Business Review are those of the authors or contributors, and
are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher.
ILeadership in Animal Farm is presented as a power over those
not possessing qualities of a leader, that when abused can be
catastrophic for the corrupt leader’s community. A leader can
help their followers reach goals and accomplish tasks that could
never be achieved without his guidance. However, many leaders
do not want to help their followers, merely use them to further
their own goals and desires. These corrupt leaders are the focus of
George Orwell’s novel, which demonstrates the effect a corrupt
leader has on the people they control, and the situation in which
they are placed. The novel displays leadership in its worst form,
highlighting the corruption of those with power, the deception
of followers without power, and how powerful individuals can
impose their decisions and preferences on weaker ones.
Some leaders shown manipulate the animal’s minds to thoughts more favourable, keeping them
distracted from the problems they face, and less likely to rebel against their leaders. A large portion
of this manipulation comes from Squealer, who with phrases such as, “Surely none of you want
to see Jones back?”, associates any thoughts of defiance with horrible consequences that can be
prevented if the leaders are allowed free reign. This manipulation of thought eventually stifles
the animal’s ability to think for themselves, allowing the leaders to take complete control of every
aspect of the farm with little or no resistance. Some forms of leadership however, do not stand out
as much, and are not even associated with power.
In the novel, different types of leaders use their power in different ways, and to achieve different
goals, and it is shown that if a good leader uses his power for the benefit of others, life can be
vastly improved. A good leader can be determined as one who would inspire others to act in order
to improve their lives. Snowball is an example of this, motivating the animals through heartfelt
speeches and hard work to improve life on their farm. During the debate over the construction
of the windmill, the statement, “Until now the animals had been about equally divided in their
sympathies, but in a moment Snowball’s eloquence had carried them away.” Using their power
and influence, corrupt individuals exhibit moral deterioration by using such power to benefit
themselves and, by doing so, cause harm to the greater good.
Corrupting power has been showcased through many stories like Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
Throughout Macbeth, the desire for absolute power is the main drive for the two main characters,
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. They are consumed with a great craving for ultimate rule, and are
willing to achieve it by whatever means necessary. Power had corrupted the thoughts, actions and
behaviours of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. As a result of their greed, selfishness and longing for
supremacy, they were unable to escape the tragic fate at the end of the play that was a result of
their own doing.
In a way, power is to leaders what the taste of blood is to vampires. Once they get a taste of it,
they cannot let go. The more followers they have, the more corrupt they become. What we may
observe today is that society has become infected by real corruption using real stakes. We think
strong governance mechanisms and strong institutions are the key to keeping leaders in check.
Organisations should limit how much leaders can drink from the seductive chalice of power.
That power corrupts is an inevitable conclusion of Animal Farm. When the pigs take over they
claim that their goal is to preside over a farm of equal animals, all working together to support
one another. Yet power quickly proves to be too much for a pig. Small privileges quickly bloom into
full-scale corruption, and the pigs begin more and more to resemble those whom they claim to
replace.
Enjoy the read!
Talk to us:
E-mail: martin@mbrpublications.net
Twitter: @MBRPublications
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MaltaBusinessReview
Martin Vella
Editor-in-Chief
Malta Business Review’s editorial opinions are decided by its Editor, and besides reflecting the Editor’s
opinion, are written to represent a fair and impartial representation of facts, events and provide a correct
analysis of local and international news.
Agents for:
www.maltabusinessreview.net
5